Greyhounds, Lady Greyhounds to Play Two Scrimmage Games Each

Arkansas State University Mid-South’s Greyhounds and Lady Greyhounds will play two home scrimmage games apiece before opening regular-season play on Oct. 30. Anyone interested is welcome to attend, and there is no admission fee for the scrimmages.

The men’s team will host Lyon College on Saturday, Oct. 17, at 3 p.m. and the Memphis Lions on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 10 a.m. in the Glen F. Fenter Athletic Complex, also known as “The Dog House.”

The women’s team will take on Philander Smith College Friday, Oct. 16, at 6 p.m. and Crowley’s Ridge College on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 6 p.m.

“These scrimmages will give fans an early peak at our teams, and we encourage them to get a glimpse of what’s to come this season,” said Chris Parker, ASU Mid-South athletic director and head men’s basketball coach.

Lyon and the Lions will provide stiff opposition for the Greyhounds.

“We will scrimmage against the Lyon varsity team which will give us some good competition, and then we’ll play the Memphis Lions, which is a semi-pro team. That should be a huge challenge for us because we’ll be playing a bunch of grown men. There’s nothing like challenging your team early and having the opportunity to identify where you really need to work.”

Regular-season action for the Greyhounds begins on Friday, Oct. 30, against the Crowley’s Ridge College junior varsity in the Greyhound Tipoff Classic. On Saturday, Oct. 31, ASU Mid-South will square off against Blue Mountain College’s JV team at 3 p.m.

Coach Tate said the Lady Greyhounds’ scrimmages against Philander Smith and Crowley’s Ridge will present diverse challenges.

“They’re two different types of teams, two different types of programs. Philander is a four-year school, so we’re expecting a more strenuous type of competition. We’ve been practicing with the guys to give our players an opportunity to see that type of upper-level competition. You can’t get any better than practicing against guys.”

Tate added, however, that her main focus is on her own team rather than the pre-season foes.
“I just want to be able to see our players execute some of the things that we’ve worked on in practice,’ said the first-year head coach. “We haven’t done a lot of up-and-down scrimmages, so it will be interesting to see how we look. It will be good for us.

“I’m also hoping to get a feel for where we are in our conditioning. We’re small, so we’re going to need to be quicker and better conditioned than the people we play. I want our players be in optimum shape. I’ve told them all, ‘You need to be able to play 40 minutes for me.’”

Tate said she has stressed a positive attitude and a willingness to work. “My goal is for us to get better every day.”

ASU Mid-South’s Lady Greyhounds will open against North Arkansas College and Crowder College in the Lady Pioneer Classic in Harrison. The women will play their home opener on Thursday, Nov. 5, against Northwest Mississippi Community College.